It is widely recognized that controlled fusion offers a clean and plentiful energy source. However, despite billions of dollars invested, only limited success has been achieved in creating an efficient, self-sustaining fusion reaction. All prior approaches have been limited by three major factors:                (a) Only a single means of energy extraction is used.        (b) Instead of focusing on Direct Drive X-ray driven reactions, the bulk of the work has been focused on indirect drive reactions, particularly using large lasers as drivers.        (c) Hydrodynamic instability is a serious problem. This occurs when the compression of the target pellet is not sufficiently uniform. It gives rise to local thermal non-uniformity which, in turn, causes local cooling. This results in an unsymmetrical burn of the fuel.        
Energy can be extracted from a fusion reaction by two primary means: Thermal and Electrical. Thermal extraction is a straightforward application of the Rankine Thermal Cycle, which is used in almost every electrical power plant. In this process, a coolant is heated, the heated coolant used to turn a turbine, and the turbine used to turn a generator. This process has a nominal 55% efficiency.
It is both possible and practical to extract electricity directly from fusion plasma. This has been demonstrated many times, and is a process with an efficiency of about 85%. The disadvantage of this technique to prior art fusion power systems is that it produces high voltage DC. High voltage DC is difficult to work with and, more importantly, not suitable for long distance power transmission and distribution. It cannot be readily or efficiently shifted in voltage as AC power can.
Hydrodynamic Instability is a major problem that the designer of every fusion power system faces. Formally known as Rayleigh-Taylor Instability, it is a problem that arises from non-uniform compression of the fuel pellet. Non-uniformities in excess of 1% in compression result in the formation of “jets” of energy that surge outward and locally cool the target pellet. The current generation of laser driven fusion systems use multiple beams (as many as 192 in one system) to attempt to provide a sufficiently uniform compression of the fuel pellet.
It would be desirable to provide a system for extracting energy from controlled fusion reactions in which both thermal energy and high voltage DC energy are extracted.
It would be desirable if extracted high voltage DC energy can be used as an energy source to sustain controlled fusion reactions.
It would be further desirable to design a system from extracting energy form controlled fusion reactions, with a high hydrodynamic stability for achieving highly uniform compression of fuel pellets.